(Drum roll, please...)
We were able to see AND hear Peanut's heartbeat this morning! Ahhhhhh! It sounded like a nice, strong "gallop"---definitely the most beautiful sound in the whole wide world! Dr T didn't give me an exact number of beats per minute, but he was quite pleased with how things sounded and looked! So was my hubby...I think he's already as in love with this little guy as I am! Even though he's seen/heard fetal ultrasounds and heartbeats before (he used to work in an ER and Urgent Care), it is never the same as hearing YOUR child's heartbeat and seeing the little white flicker of their heart on the monitor! Totally life-changing!
Peanut is measuring 6W1D (two days behind what I "calculated", but that was just a rough estimate), which is fantastic! This makes my due date somewhere around July 29th--eek!. As you can tell by the picture below, he (I'm assuming it's a boy until proven otherwise, lol) almost doubled in size already, and should continue to TRIPLE in size by the end of this week. Isn't is amazing how fast they grow??
Here's my sweet little guy's snapshot for today...he's so photogenic, don't ya think?? :)
(By the way...yes, there is still only ONE Peanut in there! Looks like it's a singleton pregnancy, folks! But that's just fine with us! Sorry to disappoint all of you guys who were betting on multiples! lol)
Ok, so now the "not so great" news...
I have a fairly large blood clot in my uterus, right above Peanut's gestational sac. This is more than likely the source of my bleeding/spotting from last week. It's called a subchorionic hematoma (or blood around the chorion, which is the space between the placenta and the uterus), and it occurs in about 1% of all pregnancies.
This clot came from a tear in the side of my uterus, but the exact cause is unknown. Our only speculations are that a) it occurred during implantation, b) there was a second sac (twin) that was developing earlier on and tore away from the uterine wall, or c) something happened to Peanut and his/her sac pulled away from the uterus, causing it to bleed. No matter how it happened, the important thing is that it's already clotting up and not actively bleeding (PTL!).
When I asked how large it was, Dr T said, "Large enough to raise some concern". (Oh, gee, thanks, Dr T!) Although he didn't give me an exact measurement, it appears to be about the size of Peanut's sac at this point. His concern is that the clot will completely pull away from the uterine wall, and in doing so, take Peanut with it (since it's on top of the sac). In order to prevent this, he took me off of my Baby Aspirin and ordered me to be on (you guessed it) bed rest. I am to stay on bed rest for as long as it takes my body to reabsorb the clot (which can be weeks or months), OR until he deems it small enough for me to safely move around. I will go back for another u/s next Tuesday at 7am, and then weekly until the issue is resolved.
Dr T made me feel a little better by saying that 90% of women with SCH's (that's the abbreviation for it) go on to heal and have normal pregnancies. He said that usually the 10% of those that miscarry are usually women who "do too much" and don't stick to their bed rest. Trust me, I'm going to be a good patient and follow the doctor's orders! Anything for my little miracle! ;)
So that's the news for the day, guys! I am trying my hardest to focus on the positive (Peanut's amazing heartbeat and growth!), and give all of my worries to the Lord! My prayer is that He protects this tiny life, continues to grow him to be healthy and strong, and that He will shrink this clot and the worry associated with it. I am confident that God has allowed this unexpected hurdle to arise in my path for a reason, and that He will help me to clear it and continue on down this road to Mommyhood! No matter what happens, to God be the glory, for great things He has done!
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